Improvement in corn-harvesters



UNTTED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

G. YV. RICHARDSON AND JAS. W. WHITE, OF GRAYVILLE, ASSIGNORS TO THEMSELVES AND GEO. M WEED, OF WHITE COUNTY, ILLlNOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent NO2L434, dated June 14, 1859.

T0 all whom it muy concern:

Be it known that we, GEO. W. tIGI-IARDSON and JAMlts WY WHIrE, of Grayville, in the county of White and State of illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Gathering (Jorn, the construction and operation of which we have described in the following specltication and illustrated in the accompanying drawings With sullcienty cleat-ness to enable competentl and skillful workmen in the arts to which it pertains or is most nearly allied to make and use our inverntion.

Our invention consists in the combination of screw-threaded terete rollers, daring plates 0r guides, vertical Hanges, and gathering-Wheels, arranged and operated as herein-alter more fully set forth.

1u the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of our improved machine. Fig. 2 is an under side view.

A is the frame, upon which is attached a wagon-body7 B. for the reception ofthe `grain in the husk. The forward end of the machine is supported upon an axle, O, resting upon wheels D D.V Near the back part and underneath the frame are journalboxes, in which vthe shaft E is hung.

F F are traction-wheels secured upon shaft E, which rotate as the machine is drawn along the ground,'and by means of an arrangement ofvgearing motion is given to the terete rollers H H.

l is a wheel secured on the end ot' shaft E, gearing into pinion J on shaft a.

K is a bevel-gear, also attached on shaft t and working into pinion b on shaft c, running at right angles to shaft a, upon Which one of the terete rollers isi secured.

d d are gears secured on the back end of the terete rollers, one imparting motion tothe other.

L L aregathering-wheels secured u pon the upper end of vertical shafts e e, ruiming in bearingsffff. rlhe form of these wheels is such that they act upon each other as loose gearing, and one imparts motion to the other. On the under side ot' one of the gatheringwheels L, and secured upon the shaft e, is a groove-pulley, g, to receive band l1., byl which motion is imparted to one of the gathering- Wheels from groove-pulley t' on shaft. a.

M M are flaring plates, placed centrally over the terete rollers and underneath the gathering-wheels, and made flaring for the purpose I 'the gathering-wheels are adjustable7 the one that receives motion from the yother ot' each; also, one 0f the haring plates is adjustable.

As the machine is dra wn forward on the ground motion is imparted to the terete rollers from the traction-wheels by means of gearing. The gathering-wheels receive motion from a cord passing over groovcpulleys g and t' on shafts e and c. As the machine passes along the ground the flaring plates direct the stalks between the gathering Wheels, which take them and pass them along between the vertical flanges, and the terete rollers, ruiming at a high speed, draw the stalks down between the verticalianges, and the ears, striking on the tops of said lianges, are broken off and left in the'wagon. e

It is obvious that the rollers Hmight be made sufficiently large to gather most of the corn in the. row without the guides or gathering-plates N; butthis would involve the necessity of their being so large as to bring them too far from the plates which break oft'the ears, and this would interfere seriously with the utility or" the machine. It. is true that the plates M are so formed as to have a tendency to gather in the stalks so as to bring them Within the action of the rollers; but their necessary construction and position is such as would frequently allow crooked or lodged stalks to pass outside ofthe rollers H and between them and the gathering-plates into various positions, which would interfere seriously with the operation ot' the machine, and asV the outer surfaces of these rollers rise as the machine is propelled, this difficulty is increased so as to be a very serious one. The plates N, meeting these rollers at the forward end or point, and being placed in line with their centers, obviate this difficulty and give a sure and certain action in this respect. Gathering-rollers and flaring` plates, without these guides, have been used; but they d0 not appear to have been very successful.

In order to the successful operation of 4the machine, it is further necessary that gatheringwheels L should be placed above the plates M, the rollt-rs H alone being` insufficient to secure that certainty of action which-is necessary in bringing thestalks between theplates, as other wise many ot' the stalks which have ears upon them would be bent away, so as not to come at all within the narrow place where the ears are broken off. For a similar reason we give the threads or iutings upon the terete rollers such a direction as that while the stalks are drawn downward they are at the same time drawn backward,else they might bythe action ofthe other parts be pulled up by the roots and thrown into such a position as to interfere seriously with the operation of the machine; and it is not admissible to put gathering-wheels below like those above, as there is not room for them without removing the terete rollers, which are important to the success of the machine.

.Having thus fully described our invention, and stated the bearing` and operation ot' the different parts, we wish it distinctly under stood that we do not claim broadly either terete rollers or :daring plates, or their combination in a machine for stripping corn from the stalk.

The particular improvement which we claim as having been originally and irst invented by us is rlhe combination of the gathering-wheels L L, terete rollers H H, stripping-plates M, and guide plates N, the whole being constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Gr. W. RICHARDSON. JAS. W. WHITE.

Witnesses ALoNzo MILLS, M. M. ALLEN. 

